Does anyone have any idea how difficult it would be to get customs clearance, etc to make make a flight from Florida to the Bahamas in a C150? My wife and I love different trips and that sounds just "different" enough to appeal to us.
I picked up a brochure at Oshkosh from Bahamian Tourism geared for pilots. It is called a Bahamas Private Pilot Guide. It has a lot of information. Their website is www.myoutislands.com. The website has some pilot info but not as good as the brochure. Their phone # is 1-800-outislands.
I had relatives that lived in the Bahamas and used a 150 to travel about for many years. Also know several people that fly down each year. They say it is no problem. Have fun.
I am from Nassau and am admitedly a little biased, but.... The Bahamas is a great to fly to in ANY airplane!
I would strongly recommend that you obtain life jackets and a life raft for your trip. You can rent these from a number of places, if you need any help give us a call. Another thing to keep in mind is fuel as it is not available on every island.
Rick,
The reason my wife and I are considering this is because of a very enjoyable vacation there several years back. It would be nice to make the trip in our 150 just to say we were "International" flyers :-)
Thanks for the tips though. We will probably just fly to one island and stay there. We are doing as much advance planning as we can and are very hopeful that we can make the trip later this year.
Again, to all of you....thanks! This is a great site for acc urate information.
Rick,
I am probably going to shoot for a late summer, early fall trip to be sure to experience the full flavor of the hurricane season:-) That is my usual way of doing things.............
I would really like to confine my trip to the Grand Bahamas Island for about 5-7 days. I would sure appreciate any advice.
Reece
N3854J
Hi Reece. The downside to Grand Bahama (Freeport) and New Providence (Nassau) is that they are extremely "touristy". When I go home, I visit my family on Nassau for a few days and then I am off to the out islands which is where the "real" Bahamas is. The plus side of the main islands is that they have plenty of services.
Although they are all one country, each island has its own unique flavor and there is always something neat to see. We are in the process of developing an escorted trip for August and would love to have you join us. On one of these trips we would be with you the whole time so it would be a great way to watch how its done so that the next time you can do it on your own.
If you prefer to venture on your own, then tell me what your main concerns are and I will be glad to help. If you prefer, you can call me directly.
Hello All,
Another good sorce for data regarding flying all the way down to the end of the chain is www.CaribbeanFlyingAdventures.com . You can buy a DVD with over 16 front set approaches to island airports.. I plan on doing it this summer in my C-172.. I can't wait to shoot that ST.Barts approach..
Tailwinds,,
